The New York Mets have traded outfielder Jeff Francoeur to the Texas Rangers in exchange for infielder Joaquin Arias.

The agreement was completed before the trade deadline, which was set at midnight Eastern Time of August 31st, making Francoeur eligible for the postseason lineup.

“I heard a bunch of stuff today. I got off the field at about 10:15 when the game ended and [Mets manager] Jerry [Manuel] called me into his office and said it was official. I heard about a couple of other teams today, but I don’t know which ones,” Francoeur said.

When asked about how he feels that he’s leaving the Mets, he said, “It’s like anything. It’s bittersweet. I had so many friends, J-Bay [Jason Bay] and a bunch of those guys. At the same time, the last couple of weeks for us, have been hard. We tried hard, but it just didn’t work for us. It’s been a tough year for me.”

Ron Washington, manager of the Rangers, said, “He’s another right-handed bat that we can get in the lineup against lefties. We needed another right-handed bat and he’ll give us that so that we don’t have to keep sending up left-handed bats against the lefties. And he’s a guy we know will drive in runs.”

Francoeur, 26, is hitting .236 this season. He will join his new team, the Rangers, on Wednesday.

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